Hey guys, one of my German Blue Rams just developed this dark pinkish colouring on his/her underside, I am THINKING its because she probably came to maturity?? Any other thoughts?? I did my best for pictures. Hopefully they'll work.

The first one is a picture from before and the last three are after he/she developed the pink.

Thanks in advance

bettababy

12-13-2010 01:34 AM

Maturity is one possibility. Other possibilities is the establishment of dominance over other males/females in the tank and another is the onset of spawning. That looks to me like a male ram, and possibly a dominant male. What is your male/female ratio in the tank? How big is the tank?

Backer

12-13-2010 12:21 PM

I just have the two, and I THINK they are both males. I have a thirty gallon. So there colours change a little once dominance is established? I am pretty sure the one with the pink seems to be the LEAST dominant. Hope this info helps some more.

Ostara

12-13-2010 12:26 PM

It looks like a female that is getting ready to spawn. I've never seen any pink coloration on males, only on the girls when they've got a bellyful of eggs and are ready to... er, get down to business. The top picture is what all my females looked like when I brought them home, and the others are similar to what they looked like when they colored up. Mine's pink coloration was always more on the belly, but I suppose it varies. Hopefully they'll be breeding for you soon if you have a pair. :-)

Edit: Also, I just noticed the short spines at the front of her dorsal, which is another indicator of gender. The black spines are longer on males.

bettababy

12-13-2010 12:32 PM

I have had many a male who have colored up just that way, which can make sexing them very difficult until they get down to actual spawning. Sometimes its just a matter of watching and waiting.

As for dominance... their colors "can" change accordingly... that doesn't mean they always do. That can depend on personality, genetics, population, environment, stress levels, etc. Maturity often brings color changes as well.

Backer

12-13-2010 01:48 PM

Thanks that helps :) If was interested in seeing if I could breed them they'd probably need a cave of sorts hey?

Ostara

12-13-2010 05:42 PM

You could definitely provide one if you'd like. I tried providing mine with all sorts of driftwood and stone caves and even flowerpots just in case they wanted to use them, but the pairs always dug a shallow pit in the substrate, usually near a plant, and laid the eggs there. One of my males really liked a flowerpot and wanted to spawn there, but the female preferred a spot hidden by plants. It was pretty funny to watch them... The female got her way and they used her spot, of course. ;-)

Backer

12-13-2010 06:53 PM

It's best when they are happy :-D thankyou lol Cool, sounds good thanks for all the help.